2015-16 Season Announcement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chamber Ensemble, Accordions, Brass and MSO highlight Brown County Civic Music Association season

GREEN BAY, Wis. (April 13, 2015) — A celebrated chamber group, accordions like most people have never heard them, an eclectic quartet, a brass ensemble and the ever-popular Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra will entertain audiences in the Brown County Civic Music Association 2015-16 concert season.

The season will open in magnificent fashion on October 18 with the classic elegance of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble. The group was created in 1967 to perform the larger chamber works — from quintets to octets — with players who customarily work together. Drawn from the orchestra’s principal players, it tours as a string octet, string sextet, and in other configurations, performing in Europe, Australia, and North and South America. The ensemble has released more than 30 CDs.

The season will strike a different note on November 21 with Accordion Virtuosi of Russia. The 37-member group, which includes 30 accordions, harp, guitar, piano, percussionists, and a violinist-conductor, performs both traditional Russian folk songs and familiar classical favorites. Since its founding in St. Petersburg in 1940s’ war-torn Russia by Pavel Smirnov, the group has performed throughout Europe, Africa and Japan. Pavel Smirnov’s sons Yuri and Vladimi, and grandson Yaroslav now lead the group.

On March 19, 2016, Civic Music will welcome the return of Quartetto Gelato. These master musicians from Toronto are warmly remembered for some of the most electric, entertaining evenings in our series’ history. Their program ranges from serious classical music and operatic arias to tangos, gypsy fiddling and vocals in the tradition of the great Italian tenors.

On April 23, 2016, Isthmus Brass Ensemble — the stars of a December 2014 Christmas concert — will return by demand of our members. Wisconsin’s premiere large brass ensemble, under the direction of John Stevens, is a who’s who of University of Wisconsin professors, prominent music alumni and members of professional orchestras and ensembles.

The season will close on May 21, 2016, for the ninth straight year with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. The MSO is considered one of the nation’s leading orchestras. Under the direction of Maestro Edo de Waart, the 80 full-time professionals of the MSO have earned glowing reviews for their performances of works by Ravel, Handel, Beethoven Mozart, Schubert, Bernstein and Prokofiev.

All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. in Ralph Holter Auditorium at Green Bay West High School. A season ticket for the five concerts is $80 for adults and $25 for students. Tickets are available online and individual concert tickets are sold at the door.

As an incentive to new members, those who buy 2015-16 membership by this season’s final concert, May 9 with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, may attend that concert as a special bonus — six concerts for the price of five.

For more information, contact the Brown County Civic Music Association at (920) 338-1801 or by e-mail at BCcivicmusic@gmail.com. The website is bccivicmusic.org and facebook.com/bccivicmusic.

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When I read the program for Jitro, I thought that I might not be too thrilled with the concert. This looked like “a bunch of little girls singing songs in foreign languages”. SURPRISE!!! A great concert, sung with grace, vigor, and great skill. Add to that a cowboy song and great arrangements of two American songs. Four Stars out of four!!!!!!